(Image courtesy of IMDB.) “Joker: Folie à Deux failed to meet expectations of fans and the box office.”
Aaron Preziosi
Connector Editor
Following 2019’s “Joker,” director Todd Phillips initially wanted to keep the film a profound standalone piece. However, following the record-breaking success of the film, having grossed over $1 billion, and being the first R-rated film to do so, Phillips expressed interest in making a sequel. In 2022, the film’s sequel was announced, and last month, on October 4, it was realized in the form of “Joker: Folie à Deux”.
Fans were initially excited for the follow-up to the blockbuster film. “Joker” was praised for its thrilling, cerebral depiction of the classic comic book villain and giving him a believable, grounded backstory that creates empathy without excusing his actions. The film broke a lot of ground in terms of not just theatrical depictions of the Batman mythos, but comic book films in general, which created high expectations for the sequel. Fans were looking forward to whatever direction Phillips would take the sequel, expecting Batman to make an appearance, or Joker to grow more into the role of costumed supervillain.
To the surprise and dismay of fans, “Joker: Folie a Deux” is instead a jukebox musical, starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck and his Joker alter ego, and Lady Gaga as “Lee Quinn”, the film’s take on Harley Quinn. She is obsessed with Joker but doesn’t care about Fleck, which is an attempt to create a dichotomy between the two characters with Quinn attempting to bring out Joker and tell a love story, and Fleck trying to get away from his Joker persona and lead a more normal life. The film attempts to tell a serious story, inline with “Joker” before it, but is ultimately dragged down by its own genre choice. The premise of Joker and Harley living a troubled romance is nothing new either, with countless films, TV shows, comics, and even video games having told the story already. In some, Harley is head over heels for the clown prince of crime. Others, she is totally over him and living her best life. “Folie à Deux’s” Lee seems to flip-flop between the two thanks to Phoenix’s depiction of Joker being torn between his two personalities, which degrades Gaga’s performance. Much like the two main characters of the film, the script itself seems to be torn between a serious psychological thriller like “Joker” before it and a downright satirical, ridiculous musical.
To say the film falls flat would be an understatement. 2022’s “Morbius”, one of the worst-performing films of all time, made $39 million during its opening weekend. “Joker: Folie à Deux” only made $37 million, making box office history in the worst way possible. Things do not improve for the film in terms of gross profits, either, having only grossed $201 million when its budget was $190-200 million. Warner Bros’ projected losses are anywhere from $125 to $200 million.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” tries to say a lot and push boundaries much like its predecessor, but unfortunately stumbles and falls on its face throughout its entire runtime. Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are amazing actors and they deserve better than half-baked musical distortions of what could have been an amazing take on a classic pair of characters.
Grade: D
